Page 11 of My Beastly Duke
“I think you had better take a deep breath.” Marina raised her hand to her head and adjusted her eyes, wondering who the strange maid was.
“Of course, Your Grace!” The girl came up straight and took a deep breath, holding it for a little too long before Marina nodded for her to let it out. Her cheeks had begun to fill with color by the time she breathed.
“Now, let’s start over with your name?” She encouraged the young girl, hoping that she would not pass out beforehand.
Clearing her throat, the maid tucked a loose strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. “My name is Isolde Hewit, Your Grace. I am to be your lady's maid.” The proud look in her eyes, along with her uncalculated mannerisms, let Marina know that it wasindeed the very first time that the young girl would be attending to a lady.
“I see,” Marina nodded.
Panic now filled the young girl’s eyes. “I do apologize for my abrupt behavior, Your Grace. I want to please you ever so badly. It is just there was not any time for training, or to hire a lady’s maid. We have never had a lady, you see.” Yet another flurry of words filled the air before Marina could stop it.
“You may calm down, Isolde. There is plenty of time for us to get to know one another. I am not about to send you back to…” Her words trailed off as she hoped that Isolde would fill in the rest.
“Oh, head housemaid, Your Grace. I have been in service since I was sixteen.” She held her head up high, speaking of the work and dedication she placed in her job.
“And how old are you now?” Marina sized her up, placing her somewhere in her early twenties.
“Nineteen, Your Grace.” Isolde curtsied again.
A child.
Marina wondered why a girl so young was allowed to take on such an important role in the house. “Only three years of service. That is quite a climb.”
“I can assure you that I am very well trained, Your Grace. Maybe not as a lady’s maid, but I am certain that you will not find me lacking in any of my other tasks.”
Marina looked over the girl’s shoulder and noticed how impeccably clean her chambers appeared. Nothing was out of place and a fresh nightdress along with a robe and slippers had already been placed on the chair in front of her dresser. “Well, I think we should get on just fine then; we can learn together.”
Isolde’s bright green eyes widened with grateful shock, making Marina wonder if the girl was about to run up and hug her. “Thank you, Your Grace. You are a kind person.” The look of restraint in her eyes almost seemed too painful to bear.
“We can start by taking off these shoes and doing something about the ache in my feet.” Feeling amused by the bubbly young girl, Marina walked to her large, four-poster bed and perched on the edge, waiting expectantly for Isolde who continued to smile at her.
“Shoes! Of course!” Isolde rushed forward after a brief moment of hesitation.
It is going to be a long road to learning.
Marina pursed her lips into a hidden smile as the girl lifted the layers of fabric and began to remove her shoes. The girl’s behavior provided her with a great deal of amusement if nothing else. At least she would have one friendly face in the manor if things did not go well between her and the duke.
The duke…
Her husband suddenly came to mind once again as her heart fluttered. Would he be coming to her room, or would he give her a few nights to settle in first? He did state that siring an heir was one of the conditions of their marriage, and there was only one way to achieve that, as far as Marina knew.
“I can’t tell you how glad we are that His Grace has found someone to fall in love with!” Isolde broke through her train of thought.
“We?” Marina asked when the girl had removed her shoes and came up straight.
“All of the staff, Your Grace. There were prayers for His Grace to find someone to fall in love with.” She explained before taking the shoes to the door and leaving them outside in the hall.
“I can assure you that love was not part of our arrangement.” Marina found her comment strange, yet not so strange that it caused her any amount of alarm. It was endearing to know that the duke’s staff wanted him to be happy.
Isolde turned around with her eyes wide as if Marina had sworn at her. “Oh, but you must fall in love with him, Your Grace!”
“And why is that?” she asked as Isolde came forward to help her undress.
Color filled the girl’s face once again as she chewed on the inside of her cheeks. “Well, all of us have been hoping that His Grace would fall in love. He is quite difficult to deal with at present, Your Grace. If you do not mind me speaking in such an open manner.” She quickly remembered her place.
“Is the duke cruel to the staff?” Marina’s throat suddenly felt dry as she thought of the scar on his face and the dark look in his eyes whenever he challenged her. Had it been a mistake to marry someone she had not even known by reputation?
“Not cruel, Your Grace, but certainly strict and demanding, would perhaps be a better way of stating things.” Isolde held her breath when she realized that she had said too much.